Mow The Lawn (The Friday Ficks S6 E33)

Confession time. I’m addicted to endurance.

For most of my adult life, I’ve run long distances, ridden longer distances and always preferred the long game. Run 10 miles? Why not run 15. You want to bike 50? Let’s do 75 miles instead.

I've never minded investing today's effort for tomorrow's reward.

My legal career followed the same path. I once litigated a single case for over eight years, through multiple presidential election and Olympic Game cycles.

Endurance sports and litigation have many common denominators: patience, perseverance and the ability to keep going when the finish line is nowhere in sight.

But there’s a downside. You often don’t get to admire your handiwork along the way.

Which brings me to confession number two. I love mowing my lawn. Always have. Always will.

Start the mower, work your way across the yard and, before long, you’re done. The result is immediate. Visible. Satisfying.

And in a world increasingly addicted to immediate gratification, I understand the appeal.

Everyone wants the text answered now. A healthy body without daily discipline. The strong relationship without the difficult conversations. The meaningful change without the discomfort.

Bottom line? Many want the harvest without the planting.

But it doesn’t really work that way.

Most things worth having take time. And they require you to keep showing up long after the novelty has worn off and before the results become visible.

That’s the hard part. And maybe that’s also the point.

So, mow the lawn and enjoy the instant gratification.

Then get back to the work that requires endurance. Because the best things in life rarely happen quickly - but they almost always reward those who stay with them.

Own the day. Own the weekend.

Carl